Hamas condemns Israel’s arson attack on mosque in West Bank, calls for mobilization

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has condemned an Israeli arson attack on the Abu Bakr as-Siddiq Mosque in the village of Tal, west of Nablus, describing the incident as a “fascist crime” and a violation of international protections for religious sites.

In a statement on Monday, Hamas said the settler attack involved arson and racist graffiti painted on the mosque’s walls.

In the early hours of Monday, a group of settlers, operating under the protection of Israeli forces, set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank, days after the beginning of the fasting holy month of Ramadan.

Flames engulfed the mosque’s gates and outer walls before local residents managed to contain the fire and prevent it from reaching the interior.

Footage circulating online shows the walls and entryway of the mosque blackened with soot. Racist graffiti was also scrawled across its exterior, including the words “revenge” and “price tag.”

Hamas characterized the incident as “an organized fascist crime and a blatant aggression on places of worship and Islamic holy sites.”

The movement noted that the act “flagrantly violat[es] all international laws and norms that guarantee the protection of religious sites and places of worship.”

Hamas called on Palestinians to “widely mobilize in defense of the mosques and holy sites against settlers’ attacks and criminal acts,” urging them to confront repeated assaults.

The group also appealed to the United Nations and international human rights organizations to condemn the attack and take action against those responsible.

It urged international bodies to “pursue those responsible and the occupation government’s leaders, and hold them accountable for their public incitement to commit these brutal crimes against the Palestinian people and Islamic and Christian holy sites.”

Israeli settlers set mosque ablaze in West Bank during Ramadan

A group of extremist settlers have set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank during the blessed month of Ramadan

The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs strongly condemned the assault, noting that settler gangs targeted 45 mosques in 2025 alone, a pattern it said underscores the systematic assault on Palestinian places of worship.

Christian Palestinian communities have also faced rising Israeli violence, with more than 50,000 residents living in areas increasingly threatened by Israeli forces and settlers.

Settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds has persisted for years. Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip, attacks have sharply escalated.

Official data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission shows that around 4,723 settler-violence incidents were recorded during 2025.

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops and settlers over the past two years, including 217 minors.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir